Understanding Transitions within Early Childhood Care and Education Settings: the Perspectives of Professionals

For a significant number of children attending centre-based Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) settings transitions between age groups are likely to be an inevitable experience. However, the literature on these transitions is remarkably sparse, with only a handful of studies contributing to an understanding of these times of change. To address this gap the present study used semi-structured interviews to investigate the perspectives of eight ECCE managers from six centre-based ECCE settings on how transitions occurred and practices used to support these moves. Thematic analysis identified six themes within the data: times of challenge and opportunity; factors influencing children’s adaptation to transitions; what works; what helps; what gets in the way, and; early childhood matters. Suggestions for future research include the need for research on parents’ and children’s perspectives of their transition experiences. The findings also detail a catalogue of strategies used by managers to support transitions, which may help to inform practice in this area.